Can Dogs Tell If You’re A Bad Person? The Incredible Truth

Apr 19, 2018

Does your dog ever act like they don't trust a specific stranger, for seemingly no reason? Or have you had them turn their noses up at a cookie from a former friend? It turns out there's solid evidence that dogs can tell the difference between good and bad or helpful and unhelpful people, and it all comes down to how those people treat their favorite humans.
 

Research conducted comparative psychologist James Anderson from Kyoto University demonstrates that dogs can tell when people are being unkind each other. The study, published in the journal Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, recruited dog owners to follow two different scripts as their dogs observed. 
 

First, the owner attempted to open a jar and asked two other individuals to help. One did assist, but the other just watched. Then, the owner once more asked two people for help opening a jar, but this time one individual watched passively while the other was rude and would not help.
 

After completing both scenarios, the individuals tried to offer the owners' dogs a cookie. 
 

Dogs were equally happy to receive a cookie from the individual who just watched and the individual who helped; however, the dogs frequently refused to accept a treat from the actively rude and unhelpful person. This suggests that dogs know when people are being hostile to one another and adjust their behavior to match what they have observed. 
 

If there are some people out there that your dog just seems to dislike, it might be a good idea to trust their sharp animal instincts. The science shows that they are more than capable of understanding the actions of humans.

Show your friends this article to spread the word, or write a comment telling us about your dog's genius mind-reading abilities!